Top 20 Most Expensive Paintings in the World Top 20 Most Expensive Paintings in the World MC Winkel | Abgelegt: Film-/ Fotokunst , Paintings | 25. Mai 2014 um 12:28 | 10 Kommentare # 20. $75.1 million. No 1 (Royal Red and Blue) by Mark Rothko, 2012. The majestic canvas was one of eight works hand-selected by Rothko for his landmark solo show of the same year at the Art Institute of Chicago. Hier haben wir eine schöne Zusammenstellung der teuersten Kunstwerke aller Zeiten, aufgelistet nach den jeweiligen Verkaufspreisen, ersteigert auf Auktionen oder bei einem Privatverkauf. Das Jahr des Verkaufs und – so denn bekannt – der Name von Verkäufer und Käufer sind ebenfalls mit angegeben. Wie zu erwarten sind alle großen Namen, von Picasso über Warhol und von Pollock zu van Gogh, vertreten, einige sogar mehrfach.

Die Welt der Kunstsammler ist natürlich eine ganz Eigene und mir wird sich niemals erschließen, warum man über 250 Millionen für ein Ölbild zweier Karten-spielender Herren mit Hut ausgeben sollte. Trotzdem ist es interessant zu sehen, welche Kunstwerke von welchen Künstlern es in der Geschichte der Menschheit bis heute – zumindest aus wirtschaftlicher Sicht – ganz nach vorne geschafft haben. Und falls Euch interessiert, wie die großen Künstler gearbeitet haben, wie das jeweilige Atelier aussah, könnt Ihr hier nochmal nachgucken . „A review of the 20 most expensive pictures of all time, at auction or private sale. Price paid and year of purchase are included.“ #19. $76.7 million. Massacre of the innocents by Peter Paul Ruben, 1610. Bought by Kenneth Thompson at Sotheby’s London, July 2002.

The flamboyant and dramatic work by Rubens – though recently some voices discussing its authenticity have been heard could also fight for the title of „most unexpected success“: Christie’s had estimated its price at a mere £5 million. #18. $78,100,000. Pierre-Auguste Renoir – Le Moulin de la Galette. At the time of its sale in 1990, it was the second most expensive painting ever sold. This masterpiece even went to the same person that bought number one at the time, Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co. chairman Ryoei Saito. Again, he wanted this one cremated with him as well, but his companies ran into problems with loans and debt so it had to be sold on as collateral. #17. $80 million. Turquoise Marilyn by Andy Warhol, 1964-2007. Bought by Mr. Steve Cohen, the price was not confirmed but is generally accepted to be true #16. $80,000,000. Jasper Johns – False Start.

Another painting formerly owned by Geffen and allegedly sold to CEO of the Citadel Investment Group, Kenneth C. Griffin, making it the most expensive painting to be sold by a living artist, the iconic Jasper Johns. #15. $82,500,000. Vincent van Gogh – Portrait of Dr. Gachet. Up for auction in 1990 and purchased by Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito, this was – at the time- the most expensive painting in the world. Saito (then 75) caused controversy at the time, stating that when he died, he’d have the painting cremated along with him. This was later cleared up as he claimed that he was only using the expression to show his intense affection for it. #14. $86,300,000. Francis Bacon – Triptych, 1976. Breaking the previous sale record of his work ($52.68 million), Bacon’s 3-piece masterpiece was sold to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, smashing the previous estimate of $70 million. #13. $87,900,000.

Gustav Klimt – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II. The only model to be painted twice by Klimt and sold a few months after the first version, this portrait of Bloch-Bauer was part of a lot in 2006 of four Klimt paintings that went on to fetch a total of $192 million. Buyer unknown. Click Here and go compare other paintings by Gustav Klimt. #12. $95,200,000. Pablo Picasso – Dora Maar au Chat. Another Picasso, the second highest price ever fetched at auction, and another anonymous buyer. Auctioned in 2006, a mysterious Russian bidder took this home (along with a Monet and a Chagall, spending over $100 million) and no one has since found out who he was. The ownership of the painting has still not been made public. #11. $104,200,000. Pablo Picasso – Garçon à la pipe.

So far the highest price a painting has ever fetched at auction (as the others were all sold privately), and was the first painting to break the $100 million barrier (it was sold in 2004, whilst 1-3 were all in 2006). The strange thing is that it was never made public as to who expressed such an interest in Picasso’s portrait of a smoking Parisian. #10. $105.4 million. Silver Car Crash [Double Disaster] by Andy Warhol, 1932. The most expensive work by the most famous legend of Pop Art, Andy Warhol’s monumental „Silver Car Crash“ was the star of the Contemporary Art evening sale at Sotheby’s. #9. $106.5 million. Nude, Green Leaves and Bust by Pablo Picasso, 1932. This sensual and colorful masterpiece is the most expensive work by Picasso ever sold at auction. The work, formerly in the collection of Mrs. Sidney F. Brody, had been never exhibited in public since 1961. #8. $110 million.

Flag by Jasper Johns, 1958 „Flags“ are Jasper Johns most famous works. The artist painted his first American flag in 1954–55, a work now at the MoMA. #7. $119.9 million. The Scream by Edvard Munch, 1895 This iconic work was the most expensive painting ever sold at auction until it was surpassed by Bacon’s „Three Studies of Lucian Freud“. The work is the most colorful of the four versions of Edvard Munch’s masterpiece „The Scream“, and the only one still in private hands. #6. $135,000,000. Gustav Klimt – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. This was sold by Maria Altmann, who – after a lengthy and complicated court battle – was deemed rightful owner of this Klimt and several others. Altmann was named as an inheritor of the painting in the will of by the widowed husband of the model herself, despite the efforts of the Austrian State, as Adele Bloch-Bauer had originally left the painting to the State Gallery in her own will.

The painting was bought by Ronald Lauder for his Neue Galerie in New York, to be the centerpiece of a collection of Jewish-owned art rescued from the Nazi looting that took place in the Second World War. #5. $137,500,000. Willem de Kooning – Woman III. Another painting sold by Geffen in 2006, but this time bought by billionaire Steven A. Cohen. It is part of a series of 6 painted by de Kooning in the period of 1951-53, which revolved around the theme of a woman, and is allegedly the only Woman still in private hands. #4. $140,000,000. Jackson Pollock – No.5, 1948. It is claimed by the New York Times that this painting was sold by David Geffen (of Geffen Records), to David Martinez (managing partner of Fintech Advisory). However, a press release issued on behalf of Martinez states that he didn’t actually purchase the painting.

So the truth is shrouded in mystery, and it can only be rumored to have sold for a record-breaking $140 million. #3. $142,4 million. Three Studies of Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon, 1969. Not only the most expensive painting ever auctioned, but also a record for a contemporary work of art. Christie’s explained that when this work was painted, „the relationship between Freud and Bacon was at its apex“. #2. $155 million. La Rêve (The Dream) by Pablo Picasso, 1932. „La Rêve (The Dream)“ is one of Picasso’s most sensual and famous paintings, depicting her lover Marie-Therese Walter sitting on a red armchair with her eyes closed. In 2006, Steve Wynn agreed to sell the painting to Steven Cohen for $139 million, but the sale was cancelled when Mr. Wynn accidentally damaged the work. #1. $250 million. The Card Players by Paul Cézanne,2011.

The exact price of The Card Players (even the currency of sale) is not known, with estimates from $259 million to even $320 million. The Card Players is a series of oil paintings by the French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cézanne. Painted during Cézanne’s final period in the early 1890s, there are five paintings in the series. Keep in mind though guys, the Royal Family of Qatar didn’t buy the series – they bought just that one painting for ~259 million). The series is considered by critics to be a cornerstone of Cézanne’s art during the early-to-mid 1890s period, as well as a „prelude“ to his final years, when he painted some of his most acclaimed work.The models for the paintings were local farm hands, some of whom worked on the Cézanne family estate, the Jas de Bouffan. Each scene is depicted as one of quiet, still concentration; the men look down at their cards rather than at each other, with the cards being perhaps their sole means of communication outside of work.

One critic described the scenes as „human still life“, while another speculated that the men’s intense focus on their game mirrors that of the painter’s absorption in his art. ___ […] Watch the whole List at WHUDAT […] Joan stumbleupon Email Comment Leonardo and Raphael were more than just teenage mutant ninja turtles. They were actually masters in the art of painting who lived during the High Renaissance period of the 15th to 16th centuries. Painting masters have been around for the longest time, from the 13th century proto-renaissance of Cimabue and Pucelle to romanticist era that featured the likes of Goya. Their paintings are invaluable, so much so that stringent security measures are applied in the museums where they are displayed. Here now is a list of the top 10 most expensive paintings in the world based on the original price that it was sold. 1. The Card Players (1892-93), Paul Cezanne – $259 million This is actually a series of five paintings done by the post-impressionist artist from France named Paul Cezanne. The first two featured three card players.

One has a single spectator aside from the three players and is housed with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The other has two spectators and is owned by the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. The last three featured two players only. One is housed with the Musee d’ Orsay in Paris and another at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. The largest one was sold to the royal family of Qatar in 2011 for $259 million. 2. No. 5, 1948 (1948), Jackson Pollock – $140 million An unknown buyer bought this painting via a private sale through Sotheby’s in 2006. Originally owned by Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr., the painting is an example of the abstract expressionist movement. It features what appears to be a nest made by liberal amounts of yellow and brown paint drizzled over the canvas. 3. Woman III (1953), Willem de Kooning – $137.5 million Steven Cohen bought this painting in 2006. The abstract expressionist painting used to be a featured piece at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Islamic Revolution of 1979, however, led to the banning of the artwork that featured a rough model of a woman. It was then traded in 1994 to David Geffen, who then sold the piece to Cohen. It is one of a series of six paintings by the artist that had a woman as the central theme. 4. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907), Gustav Klimt – $135 million This Klimt classic was sold to Ronald Lauder of Neue Galerie in 2006. He used as his model Adele Block-Bauer, the wife of the wealthy Austrian industrialist Ferdinand Block-Bauer. Klimt would later use her again as a model in 1912. Painted in oil and gold, the painting features complex ornamentation in the Jugendstil style. The Nazis confiscated it during the Second World War before it was finally awarded to Maria Altmann, the niece of Bloch-Bauer, in 2006. 5.

The Scream (1895), Edvard Munch – $119.9 million Leon Black bought this 1895 pastel through a Sotheby’s auction in New York in 2012. There are four versions to this painting that was collectively entitled as Der Schrei der Natur, or The Scream of Nature. The artwork features a figure with an agonized and pained expression. The figure is set against a backdrop of a fiery orange sky. The other three versions are in Oslo in Norway. One painting is with the National Gallery of Oslo. The second painting and the other pastel are with the Munch Museum in the same city. 6. Nude, Green Leaves and Bust (1932), Pablo Picasso – $106.5 million An unknown buyer bought this painting in 2010 at a Christie’s auction in New York. This oil on canvas painting features the mistress and muse of Picasso named Marie Therese Walter. The canvas has a vibrant blue and lilac color. It is the second most expensive painting to be sold at an auction. 7.

Garcon a la Pipe (1905), Pablo Picasso – $104.2 million This Picasso artwork was bought by the Barilla Group through an auction conducted by Sotheby’s in 2004 from the Greentree Foundation. A young Picasso did the painting in 1905 when he was just 24 years old. He used cheerful colors that were common of his work during his Rose Period. The painting was done in the Montmartre section of France and it showed a young local sporting a wreath of flowers or garland on his head while holding a pipe in his left hand. The painting is not really considered as one of the masterpieces of Picasso as it does not have the artistic and historical value of his other works. While it is a pleasant piece of art, the extremely high price paid for it probably had to do with the name of the artist himself rather than the beauty of the painting itself. 8. Eight Elvises (1963), Andy Warhol – $100 million Annibale Berlingieri sold this artwork to an unknown buyer through a private sale arranged by Philippe Segalot in 2008.

It is actually a silkscreen painting done by the renowned American pop artist Andy Warhol. It featured the “King of Rock and Roll” himself, Elvis Presley. 9. Dora Maar au Chat (1941), Pablo Picasso – $95.2 million Boris Ivanishvili bought this painting from the Gidwitz family in 2006 at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. This is the third Picasso on the list and just like the first one, it featured one of the painter’s lovers. This time, the lover who posed for the master artist was Dora Maar, a woman 26 years younger than him. Picasso had done several paintings of Maar during their relationship that lasted nearly 10 years. The painting was done at a time when the Nazis were occupying France. 10. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912), Gustav Klimt – $87.9 million This is the second painting of Klimt that featured Adele Bloch-Bauer. The first one is at number four on this list. Adele’s rich husband, who was an active supporter of the painter, commissioned it.

It was stolen by the Nazis and had hung in an Austrian museum that refused to give it back to the Bauer family. It was only in 2006, after a long court battle, that the niece of Bauer took possession of it. 77 Shares The World's Most Expensive Paintings The World's Most Expensive Paintings May 03, 2012 Norwegian painter Edvard Munch's "The Scream" made headlines this week when it became the most expensive painting ever auctioned. RFE/RL looks at some of the other masterpieces that have sold for astronomical sums. 1 Sotheby's employees pose with Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's 1895 pastel-on-board version of "The Scream," which went up for auction in London on May 2. 2 The painting broke auction records by selling for almost $120 million. 3 The most expensive painting ever sold to date is Paul Cezanne's "The Card Players" (1890-92), which was sold by a private owner to Qatar for $250 million last year. 4 Austrian Gustav Klimt is another artist whose work sells for huge amounts of money.

His 1907 painting "Adele Bloch-Bauer I" sold for $135 million in 2006. 5 Another portrait of the same woman "Adele Blocher-Bauer II" was also sold in 2006 for nearly $90 million. 6 Pablo Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" (1932) held the previous auction record. It was sold at Christie's in New York for more than $106 million in 2010. 7 Not surprisingly for such a high-profile artist, many of Pablo Picasso's works appear on lists of most expensive paintings. His "Dora Maar au chat" fetched more than $95 million at Sotheby's in 2006. 8 Picasso's early work "Garcon a la Pipe" (1905) sold for $104 million in 2004.

(The painting itself cost $93 million, but the auctioneer, Sotheby's, was also paid a commission of $11 million.) 9 Andy Warhol's "Eight Elvises" (1963) was reportedly sold to a private buyer for $100 million in 2009. 10 Jackson Pollock's abstract painting "No.5" (1948) is said to be the second-most expensive painting ever sold. It reportedly exchanged hands in 2006 for $140 million. 11 Dutch painter Willem de Kooning's "Woman III" (1963) is thought to be the third-most expensive painting ever sold. It was reportedly bought by American hedge fund manager Steve A. Cohen for more than $137 million in 2006. 12 London's National Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh raised $72 million earlier this year to acquire Titian's "Diana and Callisto Share Top 10 Most Expensive Paintings in the World 2014 | 112 | 0 | Leonardo and Raphael were more than just teenage mutant ninja turtles.

They were actually masters in the art of painting who lived during the High Renaissance period of the 15th to 16th centuries. Painting masters have been around for the longest time, from the 13th century proto-renaissance of Cimabue and Pucelle to romanticist era that featured the likes of Goya. Their paintings are invaluable, so much so that stringent security measures are applied in the museums where they are displayed. Here now is a list of the top 10 most expensive paintings in the world based on the original price that it was sold. The Card Players (1892-93) :- (Paul Cezanne) Income :- $259 million The Card Players is a series of oil paintings by the French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Cezanne. Painted during Cezanne’s final period in the early 1890s, there are five paintings in the series. The versions vary in size and in the number of players depicted. Cézanne also completed numerous drawings and studies in preparation for The Card Players series.

One version of The Card Players was sold in 2011 to the Royal Family of Qatar for a price variously estimated at between $250 million and $300 million, making it the most expensive work of art ever sold. No. 5, 1948 (1948) :- (Jackson Pollock) Income :- $140 million No. 5, 1948 is a painting by Jackson Pollock, an American painter known for his contributions to the abstract expressionist movement. The painting was done on an 8′ × 4′ sheet of fiberboard, with thick amounts of brown and yellow paint drizzled on top of it, forming a nest-like appearance.It was originally owned by Samuel Irving Newhouse, Jr. and displayed at the Museum of Modern Art before being sold to David Geffen and then allegedly to David Martinez in 2006 (though the supposed sale of this painting to Martinez has been denied by his attorneys). Woman III (1953) :- (Willem de Kooning) Income :- $137.5 million Woman III is a painting by abstract expressionist painter Willem de Kooning.

Woman III is one of a series of six paintings by de Kooning done between 1951 and 1953 in which the central theme was a woman. It measures 68 by 48 1?2 inches (1.73 by 1.23 m) and was completed in 1953. From late 70s to 1994 this painting was part of Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art collection, but after the revolution in 1979, this painting could not be shown because of strict rules set by the government about the visual arts and what they depict. Finally, in 1994 it was quietly traded by Thomas Ammann Fine Art to David Geffen for the remainder of the 16th century Persian manuscript, the Tahmasbi Shahnameh. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907) :- (Gustav Klimt) Inome :- $135 million Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a 1907 painting by Gustav Klimt.

The first of two portraits Klimt painted of Bloch-Bauer, it has been referred to as the final and most fully representative work of his golden phase. The painting was appropriated by the Nazis, and its ownership was subsequently contested between the heirs of the original owners and the Austrian state, finally being settled by a panel of Austrian judges in favor of the family members. According to press reports, the work was later sold for US$135 million to Ronald Lauder for his Neue Galerie in New York City in June 2006, which made it at that time the most expensive painting for about 4 months.It has been on display at the gallery since July 2006. The Scream (1895) :- (Edvard Munch) Income :- $119.9 million The Scream is the popular name given to each of four versions of a composition, created as both paintings and pastels, by the Expressionist artist Edvard Munch between 1893 and 1910.

Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream of Nature) is the title Munch gave to these works, all of which show a figure with an agonized expression against a landscape with a tumultuous orange sky. Arthur Lubow has described The Scream as “an icon of modern art, a Mona Lisa for our time. Edvard Munch created the four versions in various media. The National Gallery, Oslo, holds one of two painted versions (1893, shown at right). The Munch Museum holds the other painted version (1910, see gallery) and a pastel version from 1893. These three versions have not traveled for years. Nude, Green Leaves and Bust (1932):- Pablo Picasso Income :- $106.5 million Nude, Green Leaves and Bust is a 1932 painting by Pablo Picasso, featuring his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter. The painting was in the personal collection of Los Angeles art collectors Sidney and Frances Brody for nearly six decades.An unknown buyer bought this painting in 2010 at a Christie’s auction in New York. This oil on canvas painting features the mistress and muse of Picasso named Marie Therese Walter.

The canvas has a vibrant blue and lilac color. It is the second most expensive painting to be sold at an auction. Garcon a la Pipe (1905) :- (Pablo Picasso) Income :- $104.2 million Garçon a la Pipe is a painting by Pablo Picasso. It was painted in 1905 when Picasso was 24 years old, during his Rose Period, soon after he settled in the Montmartre section of Paris, France.This Picasso artwork was bought by the Barilla Group through an auction conducted by Sotheby’s in 2004 from the Greentree Foundation. A young Picasso did the painting in 1905 when he was just 24 years old. He used cheerful colors that were common of his work during his Rose Period. The painting was done in the Montmartre section of France and it showed a young local sporting a wreath of flowers or garland on his head while holding a pipe in his left hand. Eight Elvises (1963) :- (Andy Warhol) Income :- $100 million Eight Elvises is a 1963 silkscreen painting by American pop artist Andy Warhol.

In 2008 it was sold for $100 million to a private buyer, making the painting the most valuable work by Warhol at the time.Annibale Berlingieri sold this artwork to an unknown buyer through a private sale arranged by Philippe Segalot in 2008. It is actually a silkscreen painting done by the renowned American pop artist Andy Warhol. It featured the “King of Rock and Roll” himself, Elvis Presley. Dora Maar au Chat (1941) :- (Pablo Picasso) Income :- $95.2 million Dora Maar au Chat is a 1941 painting by Pablo Picasso. It depicts Dora Maar, the painter’s lover, seated on a chair with a small cat perched on her shoulders. This work is one of the world’s most expensive paintings.Boris Ivanishvili bought this painting from the Gidwitz family in 2006 at a Sotheby’s auction in New York. This is the third Picasso on the list and just like the first one, it featured one of the painter’s lovers.

This time, the lover who posed for the master artist was Dora Maar, a woman 26 years younger than him. Picasso had done several paintings of Maar during their relationship that lasted nearly 10 years. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II (1912) :- (Gustav Klimt) Income :- $87.9 million Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a 1907 painting by Gustav Klimt. The first of two portraits Klimt painted of Bloch-Bauer, it has been referred to as the final and most fully representative work of his golden phase. The painting was appropriated by the Nazis, and its ownership was subsequently contested between the heirs of the original owners and the Austrian state, finally being settled by a panel of Austrian judges in favor of the family members. According to press reports, the work was later sold for US$135 million to Ronald Lauder for his Neue Galerie in New York City in June 2006, which made it at that time the most expensive painting for about 4 months.It has been on display at the gallery since July 2006.

The ten most expensive paintings in history - Telegraph USA The ten most expensive paintings in history Wealthy buyers in the Gulf and China have set a string of records as they have snapped up some of the world's most important artworks in recent years By Rob Crilly , New York 6:40AM BST 12 May 2015 Follow When Pablo Picasso's masterpiece, Les Femmes d’Alger, sold for $179 million (£116 million) in New York on Monday night , it smashed the record for a painting sold at auction. But even so it is still far from the most expensive painting of all time. It manages only fourth place. Others have changed hands for millions more in private sales. Here are the 10 most expensive paintings in history. (The prices shown are all adjusted for inflation.) $300m When Will You Marry by Paul Gauguin Gauguin's 1982 picture of two Tahitian girls smashed the record for the world's most expensive single work of art, when Qatar bought the canvas from a Swiss collector for almost $300 million in February.

It was painted during Gauguin's first trip to Tahiti, where he said he travelled to escape "everything that is artificial and conventional" in Europe. $274m The Card Players by Paul Cézanne Qatar had previously held the record with this work, bought in 2011 , one of dozens of major Western works its museums have snapped up in recent years. It featured two two stony-faced card players, models selected by Cézanne from his family’s estate outside Aix-en-Provence: the gardener and a farm hand. $186m No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) by Mark Rothko Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian billionaire, paid $186 million, setting a record for a work by the American painter. However, it is now subject to a legal dispute with Mr Rybolovlev accusing Yves Bouvier, an art dealer, of misleaing him about the price.

$179.3m Les Femmes d’Alger (Version O) by Pablo Picasso Picasso created a series of 15 variations of Les femmes d’Alger inspired by the French master Eugene Delacroix who in 1834 had painted The Women of Algiers in their Apartment. Version O marks the culmination of the series and has long been considered the most important Picasso in private hands. $165.4m No 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock A sale shrouded in secrecy and brokered by Sotheby's in 2006 . David Martinez reportedly bough the 8-foot by 4-foot piece of fibreboard, covered in drips of brown and yellow paint from David Geffen, the Dreamworks co-founder and entertainment magnate. Mr Martinez's law firm later issued a statement saying he did not own it. $162.4m Woman III by Willem de Kooning Another painting sold by David Geffen in 2006, it was bought by Steven Cohen, a hedge fund billionaire.

It was the third in a series of six paintings by de Kooning, an abstract expressionist, done between 1951 and 1953. It was part of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art collection, which meant it disappeared from view after strict rules on images of women introduced after the 1979 revolution $158.5m Le Réve by Pablo Picasso Another picture snapped up in 2013 by Steven Cohen, founder of SAC Capital and one of Wall Street's biggest art collectors. The deal had originally been agreed in 2006, but its owner Steve Wynn, the casino magnate, accidentally put his elbow through the canvas because of his failing eyesight. The deal went through after it had been repaired. $158.4m Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt Ronald Lauder, the cosmetics magnate, bought the gold-flecked portrait in 2006 for the Neue Galerie. At the time, it was a record paid for a painting.

Its extraordinary story – seized by the Nazis during the Second World War and reclaimed by the rightful owner's niece only when she was in her eighties - is told in a recent film, Woman in Gold, starring Helen Mirren. $152.0m Portrait of Dr Gachet by Vincent van Gogh Van Gogh’s portrait of the medic who cared for him in the final months of his life broke records when it was sold in 1990. The portrait was bought by a Tokyo art dealer on behalf of Japanese industrialist Ryoei Saito. However, when Saito died in debt, the painting disappeared into the international art market and its whereabouts remain unknown. $145.0m Three studies of Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon Holds the current auction record after selling at Christie's New York in 2013 . It easily surpassed its estimate of $85m as frantic bidding between seven potential buyers pushed up the price for the six-foot triptych, which was painted in 1969, and shows Bacon's friend Lucian Freud, the British painter. The World's Most Expensive House, Painting ... and Tooth The World's Most Expensive House, Painting ...

and Tooth Derek Thompson Ever wonder what $60,000 jeans feel like? You'll never know. Because you didn't buy that $60,000 pair of Levis 501s from 1890 -- the most paid for a pair of jeans, ever. Here are the most expensive items ever sold -- the record-setting car, baseball card, toy, and even tooth. ©Wikimedia Commons Personal Home Antilla, Mumbai, India; $1-$2 billion The world's only billion dollar home is a 27-floor, 600 foot "modern Taj Mahal" built in South Mumbai for the family of businessman Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries. Book Birds of America; $11.4 million This 3-foot tall book includes 1,000 life-size illustrations of 435 birds drawn by West Indian-born American artist John James Audubon in the 1830s. [Guinness] *What about Bill Gates' $30 million purchase of Leonardo Da Vinci's notebook "Codex?" According to Guinness, Codex does not technically qualify as a book as it's filled with mostly sketches and notes. Sorry, Bill.

©Wikimedia Commons Toy 1963 G.I. Joe prototype; $200,000 The most valuable toy soldier in the world is the first handcrafted 1963 G.I. Joe prototype, sold in 2003 to Baltimore businessman Stephen A. Geppi at a Heritage Comics auction in Dallas. [Guinness] Comic Book Action Comics #1; $1.5 million Called the "Holy Grail" of its genre, this rare comic featured the debut of Superman. Baseball Card 1909 Honus Wagner; $2.35 million In 2007, the Great One sold the great one. Wayne Gretzky, the most famous hockey player alive, sold the most famous baseball card in the world to an anonymous California collector for enough money to buy about 700,000 packs of baseball cards. ©Wikimedia Commons Painting No. 5, 1948 by Jackson Pollock; $140 million This famous Pollock sold for only $2.5 million more than the second most expensive painting ever -- "Woman III" by Willem de Kooning.

A fact to know and share: both pieces were sold by David Geffen in 2006. (Way to time that wealth bubble, David!) Jeans 1890 Levi 501 jeans; $60,000 The Levi Strauss & Co. 501 jeans, aged over 115 years, were sold by Randy Knight to an anonymous collector for $60,000 in 2005. Fitting with the middlebrow nature of the purchase, the sale happened over eBay.

(Not actual jeans pictured.) [Guinness] Doll French Doll circa 1914; $263,000 "The doll, dressed in its period clothing to honor the Ballets Russes of Paris and first introduced to international acclaim in 1909, was won by a prominent Boston, USA, collector." (Not actual doll pictured.) [Guinness] ©Wikimedia Commons Sculpture Giacometti Walking Man; $104,300,000 Alberto Giacometti's six-foot-high bronze sculpture "L'Homme qui marche I" (1960) sold to an anonymous bidder at Sotheby's London in February 2010. [Guinness] Tooth Napoleon's upper right canine; $19,140 An upper right canine tooth extracted from the mouth of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1817 sold for $19,140 in November 2005.

Guinness goes on: "The tooth is believed to have been extracted due to scurvy (recorded in 1816) by the physician Barry O'Meara, during Napoleon's exile on the South Atlantic British island of St Helena following his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815." Purse The Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse; $3.8 million For the price of the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, from Victoria's Secret, you could buy 32,000 Kate Spade hand bags at retail price, enough for every woman at Boston Univerity. And every man. Virtual Property Planet Calypso; $6 million SEE Virtual Worlds acquired Planet Calypso, a virtual planet within the online game Entropia Universe in December 2010. More than 1s and 0s, the virtual planet has reportedly generated $4 million in player transaction revenue.

Leg of Ham 15-pound Jamon Iberico; $2,682 The most expensive leg of ham commercially available is a 15-lb Albarragena Jamon Iberico de Bellota retailing at $2,682 at the Food Hall in Sefridges, London. (Slices in image not from actual record-setting Jamon Iberico) [Guinness] ©Stuart Hughes via Born Rich Car Bugatti Veyron The most expensive production car is generally thought to be the Bugatti Veyron. But its 15-pound model car is, somehow, even more expensive. This model made of 24k gold and 7.2 carats of diamonds, can be yours for $2.9 million. Teddy Bear Louis Vuitton Teddy; $182,000 A foot-and-a-half tall Steiff 'Louis Vuitton' teddy bear made in 2000 sold for $182,550 in 200 at Christie's, Monaco. [Guinness] Diary Dr. Alexander Macklin; $153,573 Dr.

Macklin was a surgeon on the famous Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition between 1914-1917. After the Endurance ship (pictured) got trapped in ice, Macklin tended to the suffering crew -- one had a heart condition, another was suffering a nervous breakdown, another had gangrene in his toes, which required amputation. He was awarded the Silver Polar Medal for his efforts. Eighty years later, his diary sold for $150,000. One caveat to keep in mind is that you don't know the true price of something until it is sold. That's why most of these items, via information collected and verified by Guinness World Records, were sold at auctions. To be sure, the most "valuable items" are unsellable. For example, the Mona Lisa might sell for more than $140 million, the record-setting price of the Pollock painting. But as long as it hangs behind bullet proof glass in the Louvre, there is no way to determine its market value.

Most expensive art piece sold: Qatar buys Cézanne's The Card Players for £160m | Daily Mail Online comments One of Cezanne’s best-loved paintings has sold for £160million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art. The Card Players, one in a series of five works depicting French peasants playing cards, was bought by the Gulf kingdom of Qatar. The ruling royal family beat two of the world’s top art dealers to win the masterpiece. Major investment: Qatar has purchased a Paul Cézanne painting, The Card Players, for more than $250 million.

The deal, for the post-impressionist masterpiece sets the highest price ever paid for a work of art The Courtauld Institute of Art in London houses another painting from the series The largest version, painted between the years 1890-1892 is owned and displayed by the Barnes Foundation museum in Merion, Pennsylvania Another version, with four figures, long thought to be the second version of The Card Players, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Of all the versions, perhaps the most well-known and most often published is in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris The price dwarfs the previous record of £89million (worth £99million today) handed over for Jackson Pollock’s painting, No 5, 1948, which sold during a boom in the art market in 2006. Paul Cezanne, hailed as the father of modern art, painted The Card Players in about 1893. It is one in a series of five depictions of Provencal peasants immersed in their game. They are considered some of the French post-Impressionist’s most important works and often described as ‘human still life’.

While the other four are all held in major collections, including one at the Courtauld in London, the painting bought by Qatar was the last in private hands. The previous record was said to be $140 million (£88.7million) paid for a Jackson Pollock in 2006 It had long been near the top of list of the world’s most coveted paintings but its owner, Greek tycoon George Embiricos, had always refused to part with it. TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PAINTINGS 1. Paul Cézanne, pictured, The Card Player - £160m 2. Jackson Pollock, pictured, - No 5 1948 - £99m 3. Willem De Kooning - Woman III - £97.5m 4. Gustav Klimt - Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer - £95.2m 5. Vincent van Gough - Portrait of Dr Gachet - £91m 6. Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Dance at the Moulin de la Galette - £86.4m 7.

Pablo Picasso - Boy with a Pipe - £78.5m 8. Pablo Picasso - Nude, Green Leaves and Bust - £69.9m 9. Vincent van Gough - Portrait of Joseph Roulin - £67.7m 10. Pablo Picasso - Dora Maar au Chat - £67m He changed his mind shortly before his death last year and it was sold in April to a mystery buyer amid rumours that it had fetched a staggering sum. Only now has the record price been revealed, in a report in the U.S. magazine Vanity Fair. Qatar’s royal family has been quietly amassing an enormous art collection. It is now regarded as the world’s biggest contemporary art buyer. The Cezanne is likely to be put on show in the Qatar National Museum, alongside works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and Mark Rothko that have also been bought recently. The Qatari royal family does not comment on its art purchases but, according to Vanity Fair, it beat offers of at least £139million from two of the world’s top art dealers, Larry Gagosian and William Acquavella.

Victor Wiener, a leading art appraiser, told Vanity Fair: ‘You take any art history course and Card Players is likely [to be] in it. It’s a major, major image.’ Cezanne’s art, which mainly focuses on landscapes and still life, is credited with bridging late 19th century Impressionism and the Cubism of the 20th century. Until now, the highest confirmed sale price for a Cezanne was £38.3million for a still life sold in New York in 1999. The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art curator, Gary Tinterow who oversaw the exhibition of the Cézanne's series, gushed over the series of oil paintings. He told Reuters: 'Created in the 1890s while the artist was living at his family's estate outside Aix-en-Provence, these images capture the character Cezanne admired in the people of the region. 'Together the works chart the development of the series as Cezanne strove to achieve the most powerful expression of his motif.' 'With Cézanne everything is conjectural. He did not write very much, and he didn't date his pictures.

He simply worked quietly in isolation,'he added in The New York Times.

Question: No.5, 1948 was the world's second most expensive painting (after 'The Card Players') when it was sold in 2006. Who was the American artist?
Answer: JACKSON POLLOCK